I’m so glad I called my sister yesterday morning. I had failed to put last night’s play on my calendar. As she said, when she called to tell me she was leaving to pick me up, I would have been in my jammies. We went to see “Some Like It Hot.” I’d never seen the movie or the play before. Other than Duke’s basketball victory over Kansas on Tuesday night, these shows are the highlights of my month.
I’m currently reading Martin Edwards’ The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books. It’s slow-going, but I’m enjoying it, and adding books to my TBR list. The book covers crime novels published in the first half of the twentieth century.
Now, here’s the important news. Next Thursday is Thanksgiving in the U.S. I know some of you don’t celebrate, but many of us will be traveling, hosting family, or spending time with family. So, next week, we’re going to do “What Are You Reading” on Wednesday. I’ll still drop in on Thursday to share what I’m thankful for, but we’ll talk about our books on Wednesday, Nov. 26.
Then, if I remember, I’ll share more fun news on Wednesday.
In the meantime, what did you do this week? What are you reading?
He’s not seen the play, but ‘Some Like it Hot’ is one of David’s favourite movies. I hope you enjoyed the play Lesa!
It’s been a busy week over here for several reasons.
Lots of shopping, trying to get things together for Christmas so I won’t be doing everything at the last minute. But it’s a slow process.
Also this week it was our younger daughter’s birthday, and her husband’s as well. Convenient in some ways but busy.
Also had to buy and organize installation of a kitchen appliance for David’s sister. She has some issues mentally so he will have to be on hand at her house tomorrow to make sure she’s handling things and isn’t too confused. They can only give a 3-hour time frame for when they’ll be there so David might potentially have to be there for several hours, and his sister lives an hour away from us.
Also – and worst of all – we had some good friends where we lived previously and this week the husband died. It’s all so sad. I’m never sure of how best to help, but my friend thanked me for holding her hand; such a small, small gesture that cannot have been nearly enough. Heartbreaking.
One book read this week:
IT HAPPENED ONE CHRISTMAS by Chantel Guertin
A Christmas rom-com, if you hadn’t already guessed from the title.
Zoey – who loves Christmas and Christmas movies, works for a film production company known for its holiday movies and has directed her fair share of them. Now she’s written a movie of her own and can’t wait to see it come to life in the small town of Chelsea, Quebec. But the location scout made a mistake and secured film permits for Chelsea, New York which has totally the wrong vibes. Not to be thwarted, Zoey travels to the right Chelsea to secure the film permits herself. She’s been given until December 25th to get them or the company will go with another movie – and she only has six days to make it happen.
As soon as she arrives in Chelsea, she knows it’s absolutely perfect – the small town, the snowy tree farm, the quaint town shops, and the villagers seem keen. But Ben, the grumpy tree farmer won’t give his permission to film. And it gets worse for Zoey from there. Throw in a severe ice storm and it looks like Zoey’s going to be out of luck.
The book was alright; nothing amazing but it was a quick, light read. Fun seeing how various problems got sorted out, or not. A few scary lines for Lesa: ‘Fluffy snowflakes fell from the sky, landing softly on every surface. I sighed contentedly. ‘ And ‘Snowflakes fell charmingly …’. And there’s a lot of ice in the book, ha ha ha.
Oh, Lindy! I love the scary lines you picked out for me. Just perfect. Ha! Thank you for thinking of me while reading this so-so Christmas book.
I’ve never seen the movie “Some Like it Hot”, but now I want to see it, especially to see how they handled the ending.
I’m sure it’s not easy to be away from a friend and not be able to physically help. I’m sorry.
I loved SOME LIKE IT HOT (the movie), but never saw the musical versions – first SUGAR in 1972 with Robert Morse, then SOME LIKE IT HOT in 2022.
I’ve seen the movie Some Like It Hot, and the play Sugar.
The play made it clear how much of a star Marilyn Monroe was.
Thank you, Jeff and Glen. I’ll have to tell my sister what you both said. The musical was fun , and the tap dancing was terrific.
We got lots of rain over the weekend. I stayed home, did some decorating for Christmas, and felt nice and cozy. I did go to Ellen Byron’s book launch party Sunday afternoon (and church Sunday morning). But other than that, I was dry in my condo.
Reading wise, I finished FALLEN STAR by Lee Goldberg a few hours ago. I enjoyed it. It’s a while ride, but it mostly worked for me.
I’m already 10% into my next read. A GRAVE DECPTION is the latest from Connie Berry. Her books tend to be long, so I got a jump on it tonight. I’m about 10% into it. Hopefully, I can keep that pace going since I realized I’ve put myself into a bit of a bind. I need to get two books read before I head north for Thanksgiving so I don’t need to stress about the reviews of ARCs that are due that first week of December. Somehow, I didn’t calculate my reading rate correctly. Oops.
I’m looking forward to A Grave Deception. I know what you mean about deadlines and trying to get books read during holidays or time spent with friends and family. I don’t read much when I’m away. Enjoy the books and Thanksgiving!
Oh can’t wait to read this – will look forward to your review!
We have been having hot weather for November, going up to 84 each day. Currently I am reading The Road To Second Chance by Toni M. Andrews. There are mixed reviews, some people hate the main character but I am loving this book. There is humor, grief, forgiveness and many details that create an emotional picture of a daughter who was young when her father died and a mother refusing to tell her about him.
I had just finished Through the Darkness: A Story of Love from the Other Side
by Charlie Bynar, and the husband died of Multiple Myeloma. I couldn’t believe it when I read in this book that the mother is dying of Multiple Myeloma! It is a rare blood cancer disease, and I have the precursor of it. I have a percentage of it in my blood and it does not become MM until the percentage jumps to a high number. It may or may not develop. So far, I am living with what is called Smoldering Myeloma.
Anyway, I am liking the book I am reading much more than the previous one. The writing is terrific and so subtle. I accept the daughter and the mother for what they are. The mother is bitter because long ago, her husband died in a car accident with another woman. The daughter was so young when he died that she can’t remember him at all, and she badgers her older brother and her mother for information about him. I think she feels that if she knew more, she would be more complete. It feels like a quirky treasure of a book!
That is unusual weather for November, Carol. Enjoy it while you can.
I’m glad you’re liking the book you’re reading. It must be difficult to read about a disease that is in your blood.
How unnerving to read books with that particular disease in it Carol.
And ‘smoldering myeloma’. Not the most comforting name, is it?
We had front row seats for Annie. The play was a lot of fun and the kids in the cast did a great job. We always go out for dinner afterwards and the night before the show I found out that the Italian restaurant we like had closed. After a couple of hours online I found two other possibilities so we stopped to check one out on our way to the show. It’s a very small place on a back road between two towns but both the food and service were really good. Unfortunately we got there right in the middle of dinner service and the place was mobbed so we had to wait about ten minutes for a table.
I finished up the last of P.F. Ford’s Welsh police procedurals: A Body in the Cottage, and A Body Under the Bridge. I’d like to try the earlier series he wrote that’s set in England if I can find them.
Sandy I’m glad you had a good meal before Annie. Nothing like a dinner and a fun show.
You must have enjoyed Ford’s books since you want to search for his earlier series. Good luck!
My reading highlight of the week was Pendergast by Preston and Child.
Description from NetGalley
From the #1 New York Times bestselling duo Preston and Child comes the Agent Pendergast origin story—a golden opportunity for longtime fans and new readers to learn about Agent Pendergast’s strange and shocking first case.
It only took six months for the life of Special Agent Dwight Chambers to crumble around him. First, he lost his partner, and then, tragically, his wife. Returning to work at the New Orleans Field Office, Chambers is dismayed to find himself saddled with mentoring a brand new FBI agent—a certain A. X. L. Pendergast. As Chambers tries to pull himself together, his enigmatic and exasperating junior partner pulls an outrageous stunt that gets both of them suspended.
Pendergast welcomes the banishment, because it gives him the opportunity to investigate a peculiar murder in Mississippi that has captured his fancy. Chambers grudgingly goes along. What starts off as a whimsical quest swiftly turns into a terrifying pursuit, as Chambers and Pendergast uncover a string of grisly, ritualistic killings that defy any known serial killer profile.
Thanks in large part to Pendergast’s brilliance and unorthodox methods, they solve the case and find the killer… and that is when the true horror begins.
You’re right, Kaye. It sounds as if Pendergast would be a perfect introduction for those of us who haven’t read the books. Thank you!
Good morning, all. Yes, a busy week coming up. My birthday is Monday (Note: I’m old) so we’ll go to our favorite restaurant on Sunday. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday (I could eat stuffing 365 days a year), but as it is just the two of us, we’ve downsized over the years. We’ll either get a turkey breast (re-cooked) or a huge Costco chicken. We already have the ingredients for the sides, including the obligatory chocolate pudding pie (neither of us likes pumpkin).
Books. Jackie is reading (nearly done with) Ali Hazelwood’s MATE, the sequel to her BRIDE. It’s a werewolf/vampire mashup, and she likes it quite a bit. She has several more library books backed up.
I read Hugh Howey’s Machine Dreams: New and Collected Stories. A lot were dystopian or otherwise futuristic science fiction. A downer at times, but overall not bad.
Lesa mentioned John Scalzi’s “An Election”, so I downloaded the short story (for 99 cents) and read it quickly. It’s set in the same Third District (of an unnamed city) as his recent Constituent Service, the “majority minority” area where most of the alien species lives. The local Councilman is dead – he was killed by a city bus – and there is a special election coming up. Short and fun, but the other is the one you need to read. This was first published over a dozen years ago.
I’m currently reading stories in the modern noir-ish collection MICKEY FINN.
You know I like series books, as most mystery readers do. A couple of years ago I discovered Cara Hunter, and tore through her entire backlist in a year. This year’s discovery (thanks to Lesa and others) is Tim Sullivan, whose Sgt. George Cross is an indelible character, a brilliant cop in Bristol, on the autism spectrum. His fifth book (of seven, so far) is The Monk. Brother Dominic is a lovely man, a peacemaker to all, but he is found dead, brutally beaten and taped to a chair. George and his team are on the case. Was it something in his previous life as an investment banker that made him a target, or was it something that happened at the Abbey where he lived? His real name and background are discovered (and there is quite the coincidence there), and George quickly narrows down the list of suspects. I found myself tearing through this one in a couple of days. One tip: if you sign up at timsullivan.co.uk for his newsletter, you’ll not only find out what is coming, but have free access to George Cross short stories (three so far, which I have downloaded and will read real soon now). Good one.
“pre-cooked” not “re-cooked”
I knew that was pre-cooked, Jeff. And, I agree. Stuffing is my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal.
If I don’t think of it on Monday since I have a doctor’s appointment that day, Happy Birthday!
I love to get those notes in my gmail that Tim Sullivan has sent another short story. I’ve only read the first one, but I’m eager to read the other two.
I read the first George Cross short story (41 pages) from Tim Sullivan – The Hunter. It even has a Christmas tie-in.
I read it, too, Jeff. I haven’t read the next two yet.
Good morning! It feels like winter here (or what passes for winter in Northern California) so I changed from my summer to my winter blanket last night, and I was glad I did! Lesa, I agree with you–going to a play or musical is usually the highlight of my week, and this one is no exception. Last Sunday I saw “Dog Mom,” which is the winner of a competition and will be playing several places in the US. It was in a theater in Sacramento which was lovely–seats about 200 in a room where the stage is the floor, and there are no bad seats. It’s about two women and their dogs, and it is hilarious! The author of the play is one of the dogs, and both dogs wear no costumes, just clothing that is similar to the color of a dog. Nevertheless, they are very convincing as dogs (who speak)! There are five players, all but two of which play multiple parts, and all are Actor’s Equity actors. To make it even more fun, the actors who play two of the parts (one human, one dog) are married in real life. It’s hard to describe, but if it plays near you, I highly recommend it. Lucky me–I have tickets to a musical every month going forward through at least April!
By finishing a book last evening and then reviewing it, I somehow eked out three books finished this week. Here they are:
A GRAVE DECEPTION is sixth in Connie Berry’s excellent Kate Hamilton Mystery series. An American antiques expert, Kate recently married Detective Inspector Tom Mallory, in England. The owner of an antiques shop, Ivor, has become her business partner, and she also consults with the police on cases that involve antiquities. This time the focus is on an archaeology crew that is shocked when one of their “finds” is the body of a 14th-century young woman that is unexpectedly well preserved, as is the jewelry buried with her. The owner of the land asks Kate to look into who that woman was and why she was murdered with a baby in her womb. His own background includes a wife who disappeared nine years earlier and was never found. Before long, there is another murder and another unexpected discovery. As always, Berry has created an exquisitely intricate case, with plenty of suspects to keep the suspense growing. At the same time, Tom is working on another case which, although a connection between the two cases is ultimately revealed, doesn’t amount to much and isn’t given a lot of attention in the plot. This wasn’t my favorite in the series, as I sometimes felt the ultra-detailed accounting of the step-by-step investigation was a bit too much and the focus on character development was not enough. I did enjoy the historical details and a quick reference to Kate’s ability to sometimes feel what a murder victim felt by looking at and handling certain items found with the deceased. And the book’s last sentence teases more to adventures come in the Kate Hamilton story. (December)
In ONE GOLDEN SUMMER by Carley Fortune, Alice and her beloved grandmother need an escape from Nan’s recuperation from a recent injury and Alice’s breakup from a long-time lover. So they decide to spend the summer in Barry’s Bay, a lakeside town they both enjoyed the summer Alice was seventeen. Since that time, Alice–now in her early thirties–has developed a successful career as a freelance photographer, well suited to someone who is more comfortable behind the camera than marketing her photos and dealing with clients whose artistic sensibilities differ from her own. When she meets the supremely attractive Charlie, who–at her landlord’s behest–will help to set up the rental cottage so it is convenient for her grandmother, she suddenly realizes that he is one of three carefree, anonymous young men in her favorite photo, one that she took when she was seventeen. Charlie seems to be Alice’s polar opposite, brash and full of jokes, and when he notices an impulsive “bucket list” Alice has thrown together, he is determined to help her achieve everything on her list. This is a romance, but their relationship flourishes first as a friendship. Charlie has secrets and regrets about his former behavior that make him reluctant to take their relationship to the next step which, of course, leads to some barriers that may be impossible to cross.There is much to like in this entertaining book, including characters such as Nan, Alice’s younger twin siblings, her attorney sister Heather and Heather’s daughter Bennett, and Charlie’s brother and his pregnant wife. And Alice and Charlie are both relatable characters, although they could both stand to improve their communication skills with each other. I enjoyed both the upbeat scenes and those with more sobering, emotional overtones, so I will look for more by this author. Thanks to those who recommended this book.
Since Frank, Grace’s husband of 4+ decades, died of a heart attack 18 months ago, Grace has found it almost impossible to move on in THE FORGOTTEN BOOK CLUB by Kate Storey. Her daughter Rosie and grandson Jude encourage her to get out of the house more, so Grace finally consents to attend the book club Frank had founded in a local bookstore. Rather than reading and discussing the same book, these book club members spend an hour at each meeting silently reading whatever book they have brought and another hour catching up with each other’s lives. The club has gotten smaller, and the remaining members are worried about its future existence. They remember how Frank talked about his wonderful wife, so they welcome Grace with open arms. Grace can hardly stand the hour of silence, and she isn’t ready to talk about herself, but when Annie, one of the members, tries to strike up a friendship with her, she relents, albeit reluctantly, and continues to attend. At the same time, Grace discovers some journals where Frank recorded his thoughts on how he felt about what he was reading and about his family. Jude, in his twenties, had recently been diagnosed with ADHD, and Frank wondered whether both he and Rosie might have it as well, leading Grace to wonder how well she had really known her husband. What I particularly enjoyed about this book was the way that each unique member of the book club developed or changed throughout the book. Characters such as Rosie, Jude, Annie, and Grace herself were also lovingly portrayed and developed. It’s a story about family, community, love, and understanding oneself and others, with just a hint of romance. What this group worked together to achieve was heartening and life-affirming. I’ve already requested the author’s next book on NetGalley.
Thank you, Margie. I put a hold on The Forgotten Book Club. I already have Connie Berry’s book in NetGalley, and I’m one of those who recommended One Golden Summer.
I’ll have to watch for “Dog Mom” since you suggested it. You are lucky. I lvoe musicals and theater.
Two books I easily could have passed on and two that I really enjoyed.
The Incredible Kindness of Paper by Evelyn Skye was a little too sweet for my liking where origami roses with messages inside becomes a worldwide uplift movement. It also is the story of Chloe and Oliver who reconnect while in New York after separating in high school. The characters were pleasant, the story was pleasant, it just wasn’t for me.
I loved The Forget-Me-Not Library by Heather Webber. A magical realism story where visitors’ car breaks down and can’t be repaired until they resolve their issues. Juliet is recovering from a lightning strike that injured her but killed her beloved grandfather. In Forget-Me-Not she finds a found family and a new purpose. There is also a cat with magical powers. This also had a Hallmark movie vibe, but I liked it and it may be one of my favorite Heather Webber books.
Next up was Kill Your Darlings by Peter Swanson. The less said about this one the better. Told in reverse, it involved two very unlikeable main characters doing very unlikeable things. I truly wish I had put this one down.
Lastly, and because this seems to my season for magical realism, I read The Second Chance Cinema by Thea Weiss. I can’t remember but I think Lesa might have reviewed this one. Ellie and her fiancé Drake come across a movie theater at the end of an alley. Once inside they realize the movie playing is snippets of their lives. They go back every Saturday night to continue watching memories of their pasts play on the big screen. They are then forced to face circumstances that they have struggled with. It was unique premise and I enjoyed it.
My husband and I were looking for something to watch on TV and came across King and Conqueror on Amazon Prime. It’s about the events leading up to the Battle of Normandy. We are 6 episodes into the 8 total and are enjoying it as well.
Happy Reading!
I like the sound of the Heather Webber book, Sharon. One Peter Swanson book was enough for me. Like you, I didn’t like his characters.
Sharon, A few years ago I read ‘Eight Perfect Murders’ by Peter Swanson, and despised it. Despised is a strong word, but I just didn’t like it.
Goodness, Thursday already?!! Hi Everyone – glad to pop in! I am looking forward to hopefully getting some xmas lights up this weekend. My sister-in-law was here for a visit this weekend and it was so lovely to have her here. She helps with making meals and doing clean-up – heaven! And we got to play some cards and watch movies. Great fun.
I managed to finish “Murder on the Marlowe Belle” by Robert Thorogood. Another fun installment in this series. Judith, Becks and Susie are back at it again, this time solving the mystery of a murdered husband who had been on a day cruise with 5 other people. Each has their motive, but finding out whodunnit has twists and turns and a satisfying resolution. Always fun to read a Thorogood book!
See you all next Wednesday!
And, Wednesday will come even faster, Mary. Isn’t it nice to have someone to play cards with?
And to have an author and series to enjoy.
Morning everyone…. My current read is Revenge Prey by John Sandford. Very much enjoying this which comes out in April.
NetGalley Description…
Lucas Davenport must track down a ruthless Russian hit team, in this latest thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author John Sandford.
Leonard Summers—not his real name—is on the run. A former high-ranking Russian intelligence officer who defected to the U.S. after providing critical information about Russian spies in U.S. government service, Leonard, his wife Martha, and son Bernard have spent the past year holed up in a CIA facility near Washington. After the CIA makes a deal with the U.S. Marshal Service’s Witness Protection Program (WPP), Leonard’s family is transported to Minneapolis. The plan is to hide them in a wooded Minneapolis suburb that resembles their former home and dacha near Moscow.
The Summers are received at their destination by Lucas Davenport and fellow marshal Shelly White. Unbeknownst to them, the WPP group has been tracked by a Russian hit team. And while nobody in the WPP has ever been attacked…Leonard might be the first victim. As shots are fired and enemies dodged, Lucas must move quickly to uncover where the leak is coming from, before the hit team can strike again.
I’m looking forward to the next Lucas Davenport, Kevin, even with a Russian hit team. Usually not fond of them as characters, but I trust your judgment.
Rainy, rainy, rainy in my neck of the Arizona-woods! Great reading weather.
Currently I am reading The Library Book by Susan Orlean for my IRL Book Group. Wow, I am immersed and involved! I am enjoying her word choice and cadence as well as the way she can tell a story. As I read certain descriptions I am intrigued with why she chose one particular fact or detail to include over another. This Nonfiction book has me involved and immersed.
It seems that all of my library requests are coming in all at the same time so my current ‘book-mountain’ includes Finding My Way by Malala Yousafizi, The Feather Detective by Chris Sweeney and The Matchmaker’s Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman. All are off to interesting starts and I’m grateful for a few more rainy days ahead to sink in to them! (Arizona is so grateful for the results in this “Atmospheric-River of rain that hit the coast.)
We just saw And Juliet at Gammage and will see Shucked in 2 weeks. Wow, time is flying!!
I love catching a glimpse of what everyone is reading. Maybe that’s why my requests from the library are stacking up!
My Mom and sisters say the same thing, Gaye. Their library holds all came in at the same time. Lots of November book releases. I know a number of my holds come from Thursdays here and what others are reading.
I got up early (for me) this morning but it has taken a while to get my brain working. The cat got Glen up early this morning, but he seems not to have minded too much.
We went out on Tuesday, when there was a break in the rainy days, for various errands, and Glen slammed the car door on his finger. It was painful at first and looked horrible, but today it is looking much better. Yesterday I went to the ophthalmologist for a yearly eye check. I thought it would be routine but I had noted some blurriness in my vision in the last few months. It turns out I had a film on both of my cataract lenses and had a YAG laser procedure there in the office but only for the right eye. I have to go back in December for the left eye. I was dilated so much I could not do much the rest of the day.
Glen has started reading BRITAIN AT BAY by Alan Allport. It covers World War II, the years from 1938-1941. It is a longish book, and luckily he is enjoying reading it. He said it is scholarly but very interesting; a good read, not boring.
Last week I was reading Elizabeth Strout’s LUCY BY THE SEA. Now I am reading TELL ME EVERYTHING, also by Strout.
In between the books by Strout, I read EL DORADO DRIVE by Megan Abbott. I haven’t read much by Megan Abbott because I thought her books would be too tense for me, and the first one I read, QUEENPIN, was a very good book but also very tense. I knew I would like the setting of EL DORADO DRIVE (Detroit, Grosse Point, in 2008-2009) and it was not as tense as I expected. It was a thriller; I found it to be fast-paced, a page turner. And it is about a family of three sisters, and their money problems. Some reviewers talked about it being too slow but I did not see that at all. So I will be reading more by Abbott. I have ordered TURNOUT, and two more books I have are BEWARE THE WOMAN and YOU WILL KNOW ME.
Tracy, Jackie had to go back for that procedure on one of her eyes a year after her cataract operations. The other eye was fine. I kept thinking when I had my surgery about how much better, easier and (yes) cheaper it is these days than it was twenty or thirty years ago, when you had to sit absolutely still for days.
Jeff, It is amazing that so many improvements have been made in cataract surgery over the years. I am grateful that it is so easy to get problems fixed too.
I haven’t read Megan Abbott’s book for the same reason, Tracy. I think I’ll find them too tense. At least you could get one eye taken care of this week.
The weather has definitely turned, raining almost every day.
This week I read:
Room 706 by Elle Levenson; A married woman having a tryst with her CEO (of course) lover learns that her hotel has been taken over by a nebulous terrorist group. From there, it’s like watching a subplot for a 70’s disaster movie that takes the whole book, and you’re just hoping Steve McQueen shows up already.
Death From a Top Hat by Clayton Rawon; We get a locked room mystery with magicians and escape artists involved. Fast moving, screwball mystery.
Fly Fishing Can Be Fatal by David Leitz; A mobster wants to fly fish. Our resort owner/sleuth needs dough. They make a deal. Unfortunately, the sleuth’s politican girlfriend is being called soft on crime, because, well, she’s soft on crime, and having mobsters around don’t help. Then, the Godfather is murdered. Nobody really cares but the sleuth, who decides to investigate.
The Diva Cooks a Goose by Krista Davis; It’s Christmas time, and some grinch has stolen everybody’s presents, and even the meals! There’s a separated couple around, and the husband brought his new girlfriend to the party to show off to his wife. And some valuable kittens materialize out of nowhere. Then there’s a murder. Pretty good, once we get through the sermon about the reason for the season.
Poison Across Tokyo by Matthew Legare; It’s early 1930’s Japan, and Manchuria is about to be recognized, when a big businessman is poisoned. Inspector Aizawa and Reiko are on the case, regular cops in a fascist Japan with secret police and Korean independence fighters. It’s sort of like a Bernie Gunther novel only without all the guilt and shame, and in Japan instead of Germany.
Glen, I read that first Rawson book years ago. I think there were four in the series. I have a book of his short stories too, plus he wrote another series about magician Don Diavolo under the name Stuart Towne. The first Don Diavolo book, DEATH OUT OF THIN AIR, is available for a couple of bucks on Kindle.
Apologies if you know all this stuff.
Glen is knowledgeable about all kinds of stuff, Jeff, but I appreciate the background you provide.
I like the main characters in the Diva books, Glen, although the mystery can be weak at times.
I figured it might be of interest to some.
By the way, just got the first in that Mark de Castrique series, so we’ll see.
I’m currently reading John Irving’s QUEEN ESTHER and am listening to Patrick Ryan’s BUCKEYE. I didn’t know anything about the plots when I started, but they are set in similar time periods and have quite a few parallels. I have gotten confused a lot between them!
I haven’t started Buckeye yet, Angela, although I own a copy. Soon! You’ll have to let us know what you think when you finish it.